Some of the most frequently asked questions we receive at the moment are:
“Will we be seeing great white sharks on our tour?”
“How often are great white sharks sighted?”
“Why is it unlikely that we will see great white sharks on our tour?”
So, we thought it best to provide an update on the sightings of great white sharks in Gansbaai. Sadly, it is true that great white sharks are no longer sighted as frequently as they once were. In fact, the chance of not seeing great white sharks has become greater than the chance of seeing them.
Gansbaai was once internationally recognized as the “GREAT WHITE SHARK CAPITAL OF THE WORLD” due to it’s very high abundance of great white sharks. However, the number of great white sharks in Gansbaai, and even South Africa as a whole, has significantly decreased over the last few years.
As with most things, humans are the main reason for the disappearance of these beautiful apex predators. Firstly, humans affect the great white shark populations through the direct removal of these sharks from the oceans for the shark-targeted fishing industry. This industry targets shark species for their meat, fins, jaws and other products. In some cultures, it is believed that the consumption of shark fins indicate a degree of wealth. Furthermore, it is often believed, as with rhinoceros horns or elephant tusks, that shark fins are an aphrodisiac – this has never been scientifically proven. Other fishing industries also often remove sharks from our oceans, and although these captures are accidental and the fishermen tend to release the sharks back into the ocean, this practice still leads to death most of the time since the sharks have been severely stressed during the capturing process. Shark nets and drum lines, overfishing/overexploitation of great white shark prey (e.g. smoothhound sharks and soupfin sharks) , pollution, habitat degradation and climate change also severely impact great white shark populations. However, it is commonly suggested that the only reason for the disappearance of great white sharks from Gansbaai, and the greater False Bay region, is because of killer whale predation on the great white sharks. While it is true that killer whales do pose a significant threat to the great white shark populations of South Africa, the number of great white sharks actually already began declining in 2013. This decline began a few years before the first recorded killer whale attacks on great white sharks was documented in South Africa. Furthermore, it is also possible that killer whales could not find their favoured shark species – blue sharks and shortfin mako sharks – as a result of human exploitation. The significant decline of these species could be the reason why orcas in South Africa moved on to great white sharks – this again shows that humans are more than likely to blame for the ‘great white shark problem’.
“Will we still see sharks if the great white sharks are not sighted?”
As with everything in nature, we can never fully predict what we will or won’t see. However, since the almost complete disappearance of great white sharks in Gansbaai, the bronze whaler/copper sharks have frequently been sighted by shark cage diving boats. They have stuck around ever since the original disappearance and have kept the shark cage diving industry going after the disappearance of the great white sharks.
In closing – while it is not impossible to see great white sharks in Gansbaai; the chances of seeing them on a shark cage diving tour has become incredibly scarce. However, you are likely to see the bronze whaler/copper sharks. And in some special cases, you might even catch a glimpse of cow sharks and short-tail stingrays!
